Federal agents foiled an attempted kidnapping of Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, authorities announced Thursday.
This is what is known so far about the suspects, the unusual attack they planned for months and how they stopped it in time.
What happened?
Authorities reported Thursday that 13 men were arrested in connection with a frustrated attempt to kidnap Governor Whitmer.
Six of them were charged with federal crimes, while seven others face state charges, Michigan officials said.
Who were the participants?
All of them belonged to two extremist militias.
Seven of them to the Wolverine Watchmen group, an “anti-government militia,” according to the authorities' description.The two groups trained together and followed the right-wing anti-government boogaloo movement.
[Armed protesters protest at the Michigan Capitol to demand reopening of the economy]
The six members of the Wolverine Watchmen
, charged with state crimes, were identified as Paul Bellar, 21, of Milford;
Shawn Fix, 38, of Belleville;
Eric Molitor, 36, of Cadillac;
Michael Null, 38, of Plainwell;
William Null, 38, of Shelbyville;
Pete Musico, 42, and Joseph Morrison, 26, who live together in Munith.
The six suspects facing federal charges
were identified as Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Ty Garbin, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta.
During a July meeting with one of the informants, the men “talked about attacking Michigan State Police facilities and, in another conversation,
Garbin suggested shooting the governor's vacation home
, authorities said.
They also revealed that both groups used encrypted messages to plan the kidnapping, conducted coordinated surveillance at the governor's vacation home, and detonated an improvised explosive device wrapped in shrapnel.
A person picks up debris from a broken window in a home in Heartland, Michigan, during an FBI raid early Thursday, October 8, related to an attempted kidnapping of Governor Gretchen Whitmer.AFP via Getty Images / AFP via Getty Images
What was the reason?
The six men accused in federal court wanted to kidnap the governor because they believed she had "excessive power."
According to the FBI, one of them said: Whitmer “has no checks and balances at all.
It has an inordinate power.
All good things have to come to an end ”.
The group of seven associated with the Wolverine Watchmen
allegedly wanted to start "a civil war"
by attacking the Michigan capitol, authorities said.
"They were preparing to kidnap and possibly kill me," Whitmer said during a news conference he held Thursday after the arrests.
"When I put my hand on the bible and took the oath of office 22 months ago, I knew it would be a difficult job, but I never imagined something like this."
In this April 30, 2020 file photo, a group of militiamen, including Pete Musico (right), who was indicted on October 8, 2020 for his involvement in a plot to kidnap the governor of Michigan, stands in front to the governor's office to protest Gretchen Withmer's extension of the coronavirus order to stay.
REUTERS
Although authorities have not said whether the men were upset by Whitmer's measures to contain the pandemic, which have been criticized by Republicans, including President Donald Trump, at least three of them participated in a protest in which they entered the State Capitol armed to demonstrate against stay-at-home orders.
How did they catch those involved?
The FBI has been investigating since early 2020, when the agency "learned through social media that a group of people was discussing the violent overthrow of certain government and law enforcement components," according to court records.
Then, unbeknownst to the alleged conspirators,
an FBI informant was present at their first meeting in June.
On Wednesday, the agency executed the search and arrest warrants, and today filed its affidavit.
[Michigan wants to ban guns on Capitol Hill after anti-quarantine protests]
Authorities said the schemes were stopped with the work of undercover agents and informants.
The men were arrested Wednesday night.
All six defendants in federal court face life in prison if convicted.
The state terrorism charges facing the other seven men carry a possible 20-year sentence.
How is Whitmer perceived by conservative groups in Michigan?
The governor has been the object of criticism from conservative groups and far-right militias since she decided to impose the closure of commercial activity and agglomerations in the state as containment measures against the pandemic.
Protests in front of the Michigan Capitol, in the city of Lansing.
AP
Groups of armed militiamen protested this spring in front of the state Capitol, the seat of the Legislature, against Whitman and against what they considered a violation of his constitutional rights.
Who are the Wolverine Watchmen?
The group doesn't have much of an online presence and is not among the anti-government groups tracked by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks extremist and hate unions.
Your website was down this Thursday afternoon.
However, the New York Post assures that the group shares this vision:
"A well-armed citizenry is the best form of National Security and can better deter crime, invasion, terrorism and tyranny
.
"
[A woman is arrested for the murder of a guard in Michigan who prevented her daughter from entering a store without a mask]
Federal officials said Thursday that the group is "committed to violence" against the government and politicians.
Whitmer accused Trump of "complicity"
Hours after the police thwarted the plot to kidnap her, the governor held President Trump responsible for being an "accomplice" of the subjects involved.
Protests break out in Michigan against restrictions imposed by COVID-19
May 15, 202000: 30
In a live speech,
Whitmer said the president did not condemn white supremacist groups
during the first presidential debate and that he incited the far-right hate group Proud Boys to "stand by and wait."
"The hate groups heard the president's words not as a reprimand, but as a battle cry," he said.
"When our leaders speak, their words matter. They carry weight. When our leaders meet, encourage or fraternize with national terrorists, they legitimize their actions and are complicit. When they fuel and contribute to hate speech, they are complicit."
How did Trump respond?
The president accused the governor on Twitter of doing "a terrible job" in the face of the pandemic.
"She closed her state to everyone except her husband's boating activities."
Trump said it was his administration that thwarted the plot against him.
"Instead of thanking, she calls me a white supremacist, while Biden and the Democrats refuse to condemn Antifa, the anarchists, the looters, and the mobs that set fire to cities ruled by Democrats," he wrote.
And he put more fuel on the fire that led extremists to attack Whitmer: "Governor Whitmer, open your state, open your schools, and open your churches!"
Joe Biden criticized the president for not condemning the militias
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden criticized President Trump in a video Thursday night for failing to condemn far-right militias and recalled a tweet from the president in April calling for "FREE MICHIGAN!"
of Whitmer's orders to stay home from the pandemic.
Michigan Governor meets with Biden shortly after he announces who will be his running mate
"It is giving oxygen to the bigotry and hatred that we see going on in our country, and we have to stop it," Biden tweeted tonight.
Whitmer's arrests and comments
come less than a month before the presidential election in a key state
on the electoral battlefield, where recent polls show Biden has an advantage.
With information from NBC News and The Associated Press.